SAKURA SCIENCE High School Program Group 2
Experiential class at Ryugasaki Daiichi High School and Cybernics Lecture by Professor Sankai
On Thursday, May 18, the fifth day of the students' visit to Japan, 87 people from the SSHP second group visited Ibaraki Prefectural Ryugasaki Daiichi High School. After welcoming greetings by Principal Junichi Otagaki and the student representative, a demonstration by the Kendo Club was given. Everyone looked on with serious interest.
After that, the students were divided into 20 groups and they attended an experiential class guided by Ryugasaki Daiichi High School students. The content was rich in variety. It included an exchange experience class, calligraphy and tea ceremony experiences, research presentations, and observations using a microscope.
Interaction classes are unique in that they dock science and communication. Tools were made using familiar materials such as rubber bands and paper cups, and the students competed to see how far they could fly their animal figures. The high school students developed strategies for each team, procured materials within the budget, and after assembling them, both the Japanese and visiting high school students enjoyed the competition to fly the farthest while working together.
In calligraphy, the students experienced writing their names in ink. One student from Mexico exclaimed: "At first it was a little difficult, but it was very artistic. It was a very good great experience." In addition, in the research presentation, Ryugasaki Daiichi High School students introduced Japanese culture through sumo wrestling and anime. There were also presentations on taro disease in collaboration with high school students from the Philippines. Also, in a science experiment, the students observed the movements of chloroplast using a microscope at 400 times magnification.
In the afternoon, Dr. Yoshiyuki Sankai, a professor at the University of Tsukuba, known as the developer of the world's first wearable cyborg HAL, gave a special lecture on the world of engineering, people, and cybernics under the theme "Pioneering the Future with 'Cybernics' fusing Human, Cyber-Physical Space: The Significance of an Interdisciplinary Approach to Shape the Future of Society."
SSHP high school students fully enjoyed the international exchange and experience classes with their Japanese high school counterparts, and they also learned about new technologies and cybernics. It was a fulfilling day.